How Duran Duran Wrote A Perfect Song
ฝัง
- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 25 ก.พ. 2023
- In today's livestream I discuss a Duran Duran classic and break down its underlying music theory.
📚The Beato Ultimate Bundle - $99 FOR ALL OF Rick's Courses. Get it here: ⇢ rickbeato.com
📘- The Beato Book Interactive - $99.00 value
🎸 - Beato Beginner Guitar - $159.00 value
👂- The Beato Ear Training Program - $99.00 value
🎸- The Quick Lessons Pro Guitar Course - $79.00 value
… all for just $99.00
Get it here: rickbeato.com
Catherine Sundvall
Clark Griswold
Ryan Twigg
LAWRENCE WANG
Martin Small
Kevin Wu
Robert Zapolis
Jeremy Kreamer
Sean Munding
Nat Linville
Bobby Alcott
Peter Glen
Robert Marqusee
James Hurster
John Nieradka
Grey Tarkenton
Joe Armstrong
Brian Smith
Robert Hickerty
comboy
Peter DeVault
Phil Mingin
Tal Harber
Rick Taylor
Bill Miller
Gabriel Karaffa
Brett Bottomley
Frederick Humphrey
Nathan Hanna
Stephen Dahl
Scott McCroskey
Dave Ling
Rick Walker
Jason Lowman
Jake Stringer
Steven crawford
Piush Dahal
Jim Sanger
Brian Lawson
Eddie Khoriaty
Vinny Piana
J.I. Abbot
Kyle Dandurand
Michael Krugman
Vinicius Almeida
Lars Nielsen
Kyle Duvall
Alex Zuzin
tom gilberts
Paul Noonan
Scott Thompson
Kaeordic Industries LLC
Duane Blake
Kai Ellis
Zack Kirkorian
Joe Ansaldi
Pzz
Marc Alan
Rob Kline
Calvin Wells
David Trapani
Will Elrics
Debbie Valle
JP Rosato
Orion Letizi
Mike Voloshen
Peter Pillitteri - เพลง
![รุ่นใหญ่ EP.2 บุกบ้าน เสรีพิศุทธ์ ระหว่าง บิ๊กต่อ กับ บิ๊กโจ๊ก อา รักใครมากกว่า ?? l [Nickynachat]](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/j2inUqhN__0/mqdefault.jpg)
Soon as I saw the title of this video, I knew it was going to be Ordinary World. Simply one of the finest pop songs ever recorded.
Objectively speaking it probably is but my favorite is Come Undone.
Being Duran Duran it could have been several songs.
Same
Exactly
Prefer Hungry like the Wolf, Ordinary is melancholy
Who else straight away knew it would be Ordinary World? Definitely one of Duran Duran's finest songs,if not the best.
Count me in.
Me too
I thought hungry like the wolf
I thought "Save A Prayer"
Yes! By far the best DD song.
This song played a big part in my divorce recovery back when it was new. This song helped me realize it was time to stop wallowing and to create a new life. "I won't cry for yesterday, there's an Ordinary World, somehow I have to find." Found it. This song is a masterpiece.
How? Do you do it?
@@ziraprod6090 You surround yourself with people who love and genuinely care for you and support you. Who tell you the truth, perhaps not always agreeing with you. And then not trying to replace the one you lost right away, but work on you, spend time with you. That's what has helped me.
Same here!!! It was years after the song came out. 2002. But this song played a huge part in me being able to mourn the relationship. "Where is my friend when I need you most?
(Gone away)"
I, too can relate. Ordinary World was one of the songs that helped me during my separation and subsequent divorce in the mid 90s.
Someone saved my life tonight by Elton John is a good one for healing as well.
Duran Duran recorded a song called "Save a prayer" on one of their first albums that is still my absolute favorite! I used to get so mad when people called them a bubble gum band because 40 years later they're still here and still great. "Ordinary World" is iconic!
Right? Save a Prayer is more unique imo.
Save a prayer def their best
It was on their second album. Rio.
Yes I thought it would be save a prayer too. Ordinary world is sweet but not really my fav.
The keyboards on that one are beautiful
I hope Duran Duran is watching this and realise how much love we have for them. I'm glad you are sharing this with people who have no idea how amazing this album is. Thank you Rick.
Yes, absolutely! Duran Duran has been there for me since I was a child, and will continue to always be on rotation in my world.
i never realised. i must have heard this a million times but never listened.
They just posted it on their Facebook page :)
@@amandacatherine793 same
They posted this on their facebook page! (which is how I saw it)
Came home from Desert Storm…Wife and children were gone, this song helped me survive. It’s so beautiful and soulful. And fitting beyond belief, I had to find my way again in the ordinary world. Still enjoy it every time I hear it.
Thank you for your service sir.
Mmmm, Dessert Storm. Tasty.
I liked Desert Shield. Praying that the Patriot missiles would take out those SCUDs. Thank God for Ratheon. That was the real battle.
🙏🇵🇭
So sorry that happened to you. It happens way too often and it sucks. Thank you for your service.
The melancholy in this song is deep and real. Simon says it was written about the loss of his best friend David Miles. This is the song about how hard it is to move on from loss, but that you have to anyway
Duran Duran is such a sophisticated band. This song is craftsmanship to the highest level. Vocal harmonies, guitar solo, production. Wow.
Thank you Rick for bringing it on.
Cucurullo wrote it he save Duran Duran and yet they cast him out 😢
@EcRock Simon LeBon wrote the lyrics of Ordinary World and it's one of three he wrote after the death of his friend. The other 2 are out of My Mind and Do You Believe in Shame?
Warren's contribution was the guitar, but without Simon's lyrics, there wouldn't have been a song at all.
Just guitar you said this song is everything with the guitars all the arrangements is a rock song keep your lyrics and with out the guitars this song is just crap
I lost track how many times I played this over and over when my wife of 34 yrs passed away in 2016, to this day I still listen to it over and over and cry.
My heart breaks for you. 💔
@@joannemarsh1 🙏
I am so sorry
God give you strength.
Keep on keeping on.
Sorry mate
Ordinary World is such a timeless song. One of my all-time favorites across all genres and time periods.
I never get tired of this song
I have listened to Duran Duran since I was 12. I'm 52 now, and I still love them! ❤ and thank you for doing this video.
for those that don't know, this is part of a trilogy of songs, written by Simon about a friend that committed suicide. They are Ordinary World, Do You Believe In Shame, and Out Of My Mind. All three are amazing works of art about Simon's pain in losing his friend, not understanding why the friend didn't seek help, and trying to cope with the loss. It's pure, beautiful emotion Simon used as a coping mechanism and to honor, and it has had a wonderful side effect of helping so many others cope with the losses in their own lives. Music can see you through some of the toughest times, one of its many powers...
Back in the day I heard Simon Le Bon himself telling the story behind about Ordinary World in an interview for a radio show and he told a total different story: he said that he developed all it's lyrics in a supermarket after being prompted to wait and forming the row to paying as a normal guy, which made him feeling depressed kind of a common guy needing to learning to live his life again after all the 80's lost fame (this happened during their time off stages a couple of years before their return to mainstream with The Wedding Album), and he never mentioned anything about suicide at all nor any related. Anyway, you can believe the story of your preference; me personally stay with what I heard from him over a youtube comment approach. Have a sucessful day.
This is the last song of a trilogy written about the death of Simon Le Bon's friend David Miles in 1986. The first was "Do You Believe In Shame," followed by "Out of My Mind" and "Ordinary World." They all deal with the grief and loss he experienced after the death of his friend. Le Bon had been evasive about the inspiration for the lyric, but revealed its true source as part of an interview included with their 2004 Live from London DVD. @@TheForce_Productions
Well, we're never going to truly know, I guess. Maybe he fabricated the story you heard as he didn't want to talk about it that day. Maybe the story about this being tied to his friend's death was a marketing ploy to push the song, maybe there's a third answer that's never been discussed that's the real truth. All that said, I fully believe the trilogy story. Grab the lyrics and read them for all three songs. Simon, who's very poetic and writes mysterious lyrics, many of which he's never told the public what they mean, is pretty straight forward in these works. Just look at the first verse... "came in from a rainy Thursday on the avenue. thought I heard you talking softly. i turned on the lights, the tv, and the radio... still I can't escape the ghost of you..." sure fits the 'i'm seriously missing someone' motif. @@TheForce_Productions
At the end of the day we each can believe whatever we like (thank God for freedom), but this is widly known, confirmed by Simon and others, etc (if I remember correctly, John spoke about the trilogy in his book). Read the wiki on it... in the "background" section they quote Simon directly. I'm sure Simon said what you stated as I don't think you're lying or anything... it just doesn't make any sense... so it's far more likely this was about his friend, as were the other two songs of the trilogy, and that Simon just stated the supermarket thing to be devious or dismissive... not wanting to talk about it, etc. I mean, if this isn't convincing, and the first verse didn't catch you, he states in song, "where is my friend when I need you most... gone away". This isn't hard to decifer. you kind of have to grasp at straws and take leaps of faith to turn this into something other than a song about his friend. Occam's razor...@@TheForce_Productions
@@TheForce_Productions Can be, in late 90's I heard something about the shopping thing too
February 11, 1993. I can still remember the day like it was yesterday. I bought this CD on its release date, took it home, put it in my CD player, put my headphones on, and then laid flat out on my bed. Holy sh*t....THIS song...I was immediately blown away. I wish I could go back to that day...
@@CyranoJones509 Doesn't seem likely to me, but what do I know. Ok. What ever you say.
Jimmy: could it have been February 1983, just a typo?
Many people unfairly dismiss them as being part of the “boy band” crowd. They are very capable musicians who have written lots of timeless, enjoyable music. Truly worth a listen for the uninitiated!
John Taylor especially is an incredible bass player. Simon is a unique vocalist. It's kinda sad that they got labelled as a boy band since in general that means "performers" rather than song writers and musicians, but they're so good at what they do.
I think the association was all the teenage girls who latched on to them. I used to hate that aspect of them, wished that never would have happened. I worked in a mall and those girls would come in wearing fedora hats and buy all the posters and merchandise. I used to think it didn't matter how they sounded, it was about to them how dreamy they were. The band didn't like that either in the beginning, as they concerts turned out being screaming teen girls.
@@apollozeroI agree. HOWEVER, just bc they had a big teen girl following did not mean those girls should be written off as shallow and unappreciative of Duran’s music. Ask any of us who are still fans of theirs 40 years later.. I personally was one of them. I’m a songwriter (have been since I was 12). And when I was 10, I was a huge Kinks fan. Ray Davies had such a massive impact on my songwriting and when I first heard/saw Duran Duran on MTV, yes I thought they were absolutely stunningly gorgeous BUT, they Rio album was incredibly good! It’s sad that society placed such little credibility on girls liking a band. Obviously Duran Duran have stood the test of time and they are FINALLY getting some of the respect they always deserved. I’m figuring jealousy played a big role in that back then too. Bc not only were tons of teen girls fans of theirs, but the band dated any model they wanted. They were just an incredible combination of fantastic songs and good looks, AND they never came off as egotistical or conceited. They were absolutely perfect!! I just saw them live twice last year, and they can still rock with the best of them!!
@@JC-yz1sf I know what you mean and I have met people later and have some great friends of those women who were fans, but they mostly just thought of this one or that one as their fantasy boyfriends, so being around that was hard to take at the time. One of them gave me all the Andy merchandise because she thought he was "too ugly and didn't belong in the band." Those kind of things stay with you. I agree the look and sound was the appeal, I just couldn't relate to the fantasy boyfriend, pick my favorite guy thing, why couldn't that have been enough?
@@apollozero you know, I think that was part of their appeal. They were “advertised” as the fantasy men. The men of our dreams. I could totally see how that gets irritating for guys. But if a guy could pull off any part of their look at the time, they were probably a hit with girls too. Lol! I lost my first boyfriend at 13 bc I was “too in love with John Taylor” lol!! Turned out that guy wasn’t exactly the greatest thing either. But I digress, in reality they were a great party band for everyone.
Warren Cucorullo is why this song is amazing…he’s one of the most underrated guitarists ever. Just listen to any of the Missing Persons stuff he did. His chord voicings and solo phrasing are killer.
Agreed!! Prior to that album, they had some good songs. But Warren Cucurullo brought them to another level. This song is all him, regardless of what the credits say.
Warren was a great addition to the band - they’ve always recognised that too.
"Killer" gives away your age
Ordinary World exists becasue Simon Le Bon wrote it.
I don't think Warren is underrated by anyone who's familiar with him. I've never heard anything but glowing reviews.
I'm not a musician. I'm a dancer so I need to listen very well to the melody so I can translate that in the dance. The way this man analyzes the music and explains it has made me become an ever better dancer. I've learn so much about how melodies are created it changed my whole approach to music. Thank you very much Rick. As always very educative and entertaining 🙏🏾
So you can dance to the rythmn of the melody with the ruthmn and melody
One of the best "comeback" singles of all time.
Most people think that Ordinary World is about the loss of a romantic relatioship.
But it's actually written about the death of Simon Le bon's friend ,David Miles, in 1986.
I used to play this song with my brother Jim.
I would sing and play guitar and he would play the bass, when we played together.
He passed away from Covid, in November 2021.
It breaks my heart every time i hear it and makes me very emotional.
He isn't just my brother, but my best friend in this world.
It's also his birthday tomorrow, the 27th of February.
This song transcends what usual pop music is.
It has a spirituality and emotional content on a much deeper level.
"Where is my friend when i need you most"
I miss you every single day , my dear brother.
😭If I was there, I'd give you a big hug! I'm sorry you lost your brother....💔
I'm so very sorry for your loss. Sendiing you a hug.
@@mallorywest1535 Thank you Malory, i literally feel lost, without him around. We played music together
, I have some of my music on my channel, but i can't do much, because I have an illness caused by my Gp. My brother Jim was the only person who helped me.
The last time i had a hug from anyone, was the last time i saw him. Thank you so much for your kind words.
@@vanessawinans4245 Thank you Vanessa, it's so painful to have lost my brother and best friend. I miss him so much. I am ill and he was the only person who helped me and did anything for me. Thank you for your kind words.
@@paulopezz I wish all the best upon you! Hang in there! 😘❤️
I've been telling my wife for years this is the perfect song. The composition, harmony of sound and climax are truly a work of art
They’ve written many many amazing songs - Save A Prayer, Rio, The Chauffeur, Seventh Stranger, Come Undone to name just a few - but yes Ordinary World is very special
Yes! The Chauffeur is so weird and mechanical. It's truly unique and barely makes any lists.
Loved the Chauffeur since the first time I heard it. Other-worldly.
This and Come Undone from the Wedding album are incredible songs. Beautiful.
Love both those songs and that album!
But "Come Undone", being great song, has horrible 90-ies rhythm [pattern], which I really do not like.
Save a Prayer has always been my favorite. The music is perfection.
Come Undone was one of the very few singles I ever bought.
Come undone is definitely their best song
Walked through Vancouver's Chinatown with a friend to get coffee one warm evening, probably 15 years ago, and suddenly we realized we could hear Duran Duran playing in the stadium. We sat on the curb and listened to them for an hour, and I suddenly realized they weren't the simplistic pop band I had remembered them being. This is the song they were playing when my friend and I turned to each other incredulously and said IS THAT DURAN DURAN?? at the same moment.
I'm not a music theory person, but i recognize musical genius. The chords in this song are those that haunt you for life!
B major (I) -> F# minor (Vm) is such a great chord movement. U2's Pride (In the Name of Love) Has a similar chord structure.
The 80s were my favorite time period of music - this song is phenomenal.😊
FYI this came during the 90s .
This song is from the 90s is sounds nothing like Duran Duran Warren cucurullo made this rock songs he was in another level
@@EcRockWarren was a different ‘flavour’ added. I always enjoyed Warren era Duran, it’s just different from Andy era Duran. I love that they evolve so much
This is a 1990's song. But I understand you, Duran Duran is much associated with the 80's.
I've always talked up how good the musicianship is in Duran Duran. John Taylor is one of my favorite bass players in any genre. His driving base in Rio and that really funky bass line in girls on film are 2 of my favorite baselines of all time. Of course I'm not putting him above Les Claypool or anything but John is highly underrated and really deserves more praise. I didn't listen to Duran Duran as a kid but when I revisited them years later as an adult, I was blown away by how good the music was.
That is right. John Taylor is a awesome bassplayer composer.
What about Geddy Lee?
Yup. John Taylor, Leigh Gorman (Bow Wow Wow) and Mick Carn (Japan, and other groups) are my favorites. Without them, each respective band wouldn’t be the same. They carried the melodies and Gorman and Taylor “drove” a lot of songs.
The writer of this song is Warren Cuccurullo.
Time has been very kind to Duran Duran
Save A Prayer came to mind initially but Ordinary World is a musical masterpiece as well.
that last verse in Save A Prayer always hits me hard
Skin Trade ijs awesome to. I think they are actually on tour soon too !
I tried to remake Save A Prayer as a mixing exercise because I've loved it since it came out. LeBon's range is just stupid! The song is "sofa king" good!
Just save it for the morning after😆
Love both.
I love that every next segment Rick says “this is REALLY what makes this song great”. It is just an amazingly beautiful composition with real feeling, real meaning and a breathtaking arrangement for the melody.
I'd put Come Undone as their masterpiece! Hauntingly beautiful, majestic and total ear candy! Love the guitar, drums, baseline, vocals.....it's perfection to me!
Yes, perfect song. Like it's twin sister on the same album. "Come undone." Just perfect!! Thank you Rick and Duran Duran
I love Come Undone too!
Come Undone, outstanding theme, that riff...
As a 16 year old I sat alongside David Richards in Mountain Studios as he mixed this (and tuned the vocal track). I knew it was a stunning song from the first few bars. Every time I hear it I’m transported back to that amazing time in my life
Wow! That must have been amazing.
@@rador9745 I didn’t know how lucky I was. My band was recording there which ultimately came to nothing 😂❤
Whoa!!
That was 92-93
Wow!!
Saw them in Dublin last weekend. Amazing. Ordinary World the greatest comeback song ever. So many wonderful songs in their repertoire. Not a bubblegum band.
See them live if you can while you can. Simon’s voice is still pure and unchanged.
Even stronger in many ways especially as now he isn’t running around stage like a madman (I always loved that though bless him)
Absolutely his voice has not changed at all
From my point of view I've seen them live twice and have come to the conclusion they are a fantastic studio band
This is the most perfect Pop song from the last 30 years.Period.
And i´m a music lover/collector of all genres since i was 10.
Word.
True.1993-2023 - and still rumbles.
Never been a DD fan. But this hits different.
Same w/ U2- 90% lame band but w/some epic tunes.
Fact!
One of the G.O.A.T.´s, i believe.
As an original Duranie, (born ‘68!), and a huge fan of their early work, this later track is just brilliant.
Agreed! Born in ‘69 and even sent a money order from Canada to join their fan club. First concert was at Maple Leaf Gardens where they filmed footage for “The Reflex.”
100%, another ‘68er here
Me too. 68. Fan from Planet Earth forward.
One of the most beautiful songs in my opinion. ‘Come Undone’ is also incredible and both off the same album
Come Undone is my favorite off this album, too, but OW is hard to beat.
I would imagine Warren Cucurullo had a part to play in this. The guitar riff in *Come Undone* is sublime also.
I’ve always wondered about this too!
It's my all-time favorite song... it came out the same year I graduated in '93...
Come Undone is perfect
also written by simon le bon, for his wifes birthday. and of course harmonies are simon le bons. Warrens guitar helps. You should note that percusion is a drum machine inspired strongly by jon secada. = just another day. CHeck it out. Credit is Simon Le Bon for creating the composition. He is always the composer. = i am referring to come undone, not ordinary world, which was also written by simon le bon.
@@gingerindian1141 Le bon only wrote the lyrics to those song. Cuccurullo wrote the music for both.
I remember being a big metal head back in high school and also loving Duran Duran which was taboo back then for a metal player. I didn't care and always had mad respect for those guys as musicians and songwriters. I always said that Duran was the one band I would dread going up against in a battle of the bands. Behind all the fashion and sleek image, those boys are monster players each in their own right.
I think the people that played instruments always had a more open mind about other types of music. It was always the guys that didn't play that were the Metallica or die stans.
Same here. I remember being so heavily into the likes of Master Of Puppets and Operation Mindcrime all the while being intrigued and moved by much of Duran Durans music. When Ordinary World came out I just remember standing in my living room listening for the first time with the hair standing on my arms. I wasn't hanging out with too many people at the time I could have shared that with. But here I am now.
Just listen to the bass on Planet earth from their first album. I think John Tayler had been playing bass for 2-3 years about that time which makes it so insane.
Ditto. Their vocals are incredible too. Good music is good music no matter the genre. I mean if you think about it a lot of metal and prog was inspired by classical music. It's good to be well rounded.
We had the same experience @tossedpenny, I was a huge Maiden/Priest/Sabbath kid. I remember exactly where I was when I heard "Save A Prayer" the first time, sitting in my buddy's Camaro by the beach, what a great memory. Didn't hurt we were high AF I guess, but yeah early Duran Duran made me question my metal loyalties LOL
Rick, I'm sky-high thrilled to be able to say that you've now done a video about a song by my favorite band of all time, and rounded out a 5 for 5 of my top 5 (Duran Duran, Pink Floyd, Van Halen, U2, & R.E.M.). With this song, Duran Duran managed to transcend the '80s lockbox that the critics had put them in (and thrown away the key). It might actually be the single most important song they ever wrote, much like One by U2, because without it, they might well have folded the tent after a rough period of uncertainty, and likely wouldn't still be around today, let alone having (rightly) finally made it into the R&R Hall of Fame. A few notes about the song, some of which reflect on points you made in the video, that I think you'll enjoy knowing:
1. While the rest of the band most likely just have good ears, Warren Cuccurullo, who came up with the chords for the song on guitar, absolutely knew the theory behind what he was doing and why. He had previously been Frank Zappa's guitar player (a job he got by following Frank around on tour and driving him nuts until he realized Warren knew how to play every one of his songs) before leaving Zappa's band with Terry Bozzio to form Missing Persons. I love original Duran guitarist Andy Taylor, who was/is an underrated rock player and without whom they never would've broken in America, but Warren is a straight up virtuoso.
2. The huge comeback self titled 1993 album (known as "The Wedding Album") was actually recorded in the living room of Warren's London apartment.
3. Those "caveman" drum fills were played by the great Steve Ferrone of the Average White Band & later Tom Petty's band (for 30 years). He frequently played with Duran Duran, both in the studio ('86-'95) and on stage (the entire '87-'88 Strange Behaviour tour).
4. Those deep and moving lyrics are actually about lead singer Simon Le Bon trying to reconcile the death of his childhood best friend David Miles. He wrote a trilogy of songs about Miles: Do You Believe in Shame (1988), Ordinary World (1992) and Out of My Mind (1995). The movement toward more personal, relatable, and less obtuse lyrics along with Cuccurullo pushing the band to be more adventurous musically in the '90s were equally important factors in gaining the band at least a smidge more credit from the closed minded ranks of rock critics.
If you've made it this far, thank you so much for listening to me ramble. Again, thank you for another excellent video, and if you'd like to hear more of how Warren Cuccurullo pushed Duran Duran musically, check out Breath After Breath (with Milton Nascimento on guest vocals and Vinnie Colaiuta on drums), Buried in the Sand (about founding bassist John Taylor leaving the band in '96), Michael You've Got a Lot to Answer For (a pleading song written to Simon Le Bon's close friend Michael Hutchence not long before his death), Starting to Remember (a beautiful Beatlesque song with lyrics written by keyboardist Nick Rhodes) and Last Day on Earth, an absolute ass-kicker in 5/4 time (preferably listened to with its intro, the instrumental Kiss Goodbye, played directly before it because the two songs make a single musical statement played together).
Rock critics don't know anything. Songs like "The Reflex" and "The Chauffeur" have SO much complexity hidden behind their catchy melodies and hooks. They've always been brilliant songwriters, but not always mainstream. Only band I've seen have TWO comeback periods -- the Wedding Album period, and the Astronaut reunion. And they're still making some great albums in this century!
Thank you for this comment! I really appreciate the effort and time you took to express all this. I'm a lifelong Duran Duran fan and have followed them all the way through. I feel the same way you do about each track you mentioned. I truly feel they have no bad albums, but albums which were not mainstream compatible. So many times I've asked people to take the time to do a deep dive into the Duran Duran discography and understand their genius. They have always been so smart to work with other great musicians and producers, as well. I would love to get a group of people/musicians together and do a Duran Duran listening party. What a band! They have never been given the credit they deserve. Unbelievable talent and staying power. Loyal fan since I was 7 years old.. when "Rio" came out. It was my first vinyl album.. best Christmas present ever. Their first album, "Duran Duran", is a gem, too.. that New Romantic vibe.. so good!
Wonderfull in depht comment. I really appreciat this explanation and your effort on letting us know!
STARTING TO REMEMBER! Love it so much.
Warren deserved better, he carried the band trough the dark times, bringing back Andy was a huge mistake. He didn’t evolve and left the band again dry.
The Timbaland produced album (red carpet) was awful, but hearing it live showed a glimpse of what it could have been.
Roger coming back can be seen on the most beautiful cover of Perfect Day (thank you album) and they sounded amazing, they should have kept going like that.
I have loved Duran Duran since first listen! They are so unique in their sound and have written many of my favorite songs. I saw them in concert 1984. Seven and the Ragged Tiger tour. Fantastic! My best friend was also a huge fan but sadly she died in 2003. This song reminds me of her.
Prayers for Andy!
❤ for Andy!
For Andy🙏❤
It’s so great to see so many people in the comments that feel exactly the way I do about this song and COME UNDONE. They are legends and have been consistently good for so long. I’ve been listening to thier greatest hits since the wedding album came out. Decades (pun intended) of great music.
My favorite Duran Duran song is Come Undone. The backing vocals in particular are so sweet.
One of my faves. Check out Bad Omen's cover of it, it's fantastic
yessss that's my favorite as well
After all these years, Come Undone can still kill me emotionally
Warren Cuccurullo, who previously played guitar for Frank Zappa and Missing Persons, is widely credited with writing the bulk of Ordinary World including all the Sus chords and chord substitutions. He is definitely a "Jazz Cat" who knows what he's doing. All the other members of Duran Duran are self-taught including bassist John Taylor who has created some of the most memorable Pop bass lines of his generation. (Check out his bass line for the song Rio. It's mind blowing.)
At last, someone is giving Warren the credit he deserves. He DID wrote the damn song and, in doing so, saved the band at a critical moment in their career. That single sent them back at the top of the charts after the failure of Liberty and the lukewarm reception of Big Thing. In 1992, they were on the way out. Them Warren came with that song...
@@TheSomsom3 Liberty was awful. And Big Thing wasn't much better. You're right, Warran saved the band and put them back on top. And then he got kicked to the curb for Duran Duran's "Astronaut" reunion album/tour.
People always forget, or neglect to mention Warren in Missing Persons prior to D2. Makes me itch.
Well to Simon's credit, he did give Warren a shout out during their induction into the Rock and roll Hall of Fame.
I just posted a comment saying much the same - didn't mean to steal your thunder!
First time I heard this song I felt it was something special, such an evolution for the band from their previous works (all still brilliant, but this was decidedly different).
It always makes me wonder how much Warren with his Zappa and Missing Persons background, had an impact on this era of Duran Duran's writing. Just guiding them on how to expand their musical vocabulary which they could then put that Nick, Simon and John Duran Duran melodic magic on.
Simon's falsetto harmonies during the pre-outro chorus always killed me. Playing with major and minor shifts...just awesome.
This album was truly their masterpiece! My favourite was Come Undone…
For us who grew into young adults with bands like Duran Duran, this is the perfect tribute to their contribution to music. Thank you!
Not really. What other Duran song sounds like this? This was a Warren tune, and I don’t think anyone considers the Warren records as representative of “the sound of Duran Duran”.
@@WhyTheHorseface you do have a point. But they do have some nice musical complexity in their earlier albums, just not as guitar centric. Warren absolutely did some of his best work showcasing his musical genius creativity & with this track. That’s why he was inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame with them.
@@WhyTheHorseface alot of other DD songs are much more enjoyable
Yes and nothing comes close to this nowadays 😢
12yr old me used to feel absolutely electrified by 'The Reflex', like I'd been switched on, it was AMAZING 😃
This is duran duran basically laying it down that they were not just a boy band but a seriously good and talented group. Man how I miss good pop music.
This song is a song my friend loves. I broke his heart in 93. This song is what takes him back to that time. Still today.
I always knew Ordinary World was a magical composition. So deep, both musically and lyrically. My dear Dad loved it.
This and "Come Undone" off of Duran Duran were both amazing. It's all in the mood and the cool... the intelligence and emotion. It's all there...
I do not know anything technical about music theory nor I pretend to have expert musical ear. But everything you said makes sense to me because I really feel this song and I feel it like magic. The vibe, the sounds, the harminies, I feel this song has layers upon layers of extremely good touches and details to take our ears on a journey.
This is one of my favorite songs of all time. I NEVER get sick of it. Blast it in the car, singing at the top of my lungs, swept away. I always have the same significant response to it emotionally. That descending scale motive ….wow.
I saw Duran Duran play their first gig post lockdown and Simon Le Bon described how the song had taken on an entirely new meaning during these covid times. That’s the sign of a great song. It can change its meaning for people over time.
Applicability as opposed to allegory
Agree! This is IMHO a song about (love) loss and finding the resilience to eventually get up again and finding trust to find your way again and trust and love again - a bit like life itself 🙂
Simon LeBon Doesn't get enough credit for his amazing vocals and lyrics. What a dude
thinking that too
Hands down one of, if not, the best male vocalist of the 80's. If you can sing, just try singing-a-long and try to keep up with him....good luck🙂
@@yal100 There’s some competition there. Morten Harket?
Lyrics beyond compare
@@harryosullivan9632true, but he gets a lot of credit for his singing. Le Bon rarely did, and that's the point of the OP's comment.
We could also add in others like Nik Kershaw, Mr Mister, It Bites, I mean the 80s was just rammed with quality!
Duran Duran was my first concert! February 1984. I had a raging crush on John Taylor, all their albums and quite a few posters. Ordinary World is beautiful, a favorite for sure.
Mine was nick. Gorgeous. New Romantic at the time 😂😊
DD was also my first concert in 1984, Dallas Texas. Delicious music!
This has always been one of my favorite songs. I never understood how it wasn't considered one of the best of the era. It seems mostly forgotten or ignored.
Duran Duran is literally a _perfect_ band. It's not something I came to really appreciate until I was older. Great, interesting music that sounds like nothing we've heard before with clear influences from several different genres, they're great musicians, with great vocals, strong public appeal... I could go on and on.
MTV was a blessing and a curse for them as well. The videos were exceptional and captured the era but also put them on all sorts of teenie girl magazine covers. Hardcore fans like myself in junior high and high school were split on fandom. Some hated them because of their good looks and exotic videos, some labeled them as light weights, and some friends dogged them because they weren’t Minutemen, Husker Du, Talking Heads, U2, or the Police. I remember defending them to a staunch Heads fan who just went on and on about Byrne’s genius. I told him they are genius in their own right but it is the way they are marketed.
Saw them last summer to check them off my list of new wave acts to see before they retired/died. This song was a highlight, along with "Save a Prayer" and "The Reflex." And then I went a DD binge for the next few days rediscovering the old stuff and appreciating how well it's held up.
They've been my favorite since 1981. Everyone should give the newest album, Future Past, a listen. I saw them live 9 times this fall and will be at almost every show in June. Can't wait!
What can't be understated is Simon LeBon's INCREDIBLE sense of melody as well as being a gifted lyricist.
Agreed.
I agree
When I was a kid, I wanted to grow up to be Simon LeBon!!
Simon LeBon has said several times "I love a major over a minor". He's a fan of dissonance.
@@kathycassidy5302 Awesome! Good to know!
Like a lot of us here, I knew the perfect song was going to be Ordinary World. I fell in love with this song the first time I heard it on MTV in the early nineties. Thirty years later (I'm 60 now), I'll still get emotional listening to it.
Absolutely amazing. Speechless. Duran fan for 40 years. Song usually makes me cry. You explain WHY it makes me cry! Ty so so much ur a musical genius.
Duran Duran has been my favorite band since 1982. I’ve seen the original line up twice. Simon, still sounds as unique and as good as he did on 1982. Jair a great f’ing band.
They have 5 to 10 absolutely perfect songs... it's maddening how good they are.
Save a prayer...
More like 20-25 songs if you have all their individual albums
@@edwardsanchez3708 true. I was being to modest! 20 to 25 is probably very accurate!
Rio, the debut, all you need is now, & seven ... as albums ... are perfection
Falling Down. Rio. A View to a Kill. Come Undone.
Skin trade, last chance on the stairway, American science
Back then Duran Duran was basically like the Beatles in my opinion. They couldn't do anything bad. Everything they touched was gold for many years! This song was towards the end. They're golden goose so to say!
the end? they are still around touring and putting out albums!
Their last few albums are actually really good for the most part. Astronaut, Red Carpet Massacre and Paper Gods especially.
This is Simon's masterpiece.. It's Not only the greatest Duran Duran song.. It's the most beautiful song ever written.. They get more mail about this song than any song they have ever done to this day.. Sometimes a song can heal your soul.. This is that song.. Long Live the greatest band in the world.. Long Live Duran Duran 🙌 💕
One of the greatest songs ever written, so glad to see it covered and broken down here.
I like the way Rick describes the nuances of a song like it's a fine wine. He's a sort of music sommelier.
Haha, that's a fitting comparison 😅! Love to go to his music tastings!
Spot on description! 👏
My all time favorite band in the 80s, and still making great, relevant music over 40 years later. This is how you make a perfect song, mileage (and talent).
Over the years, Duran Duran have been highly underrated over years... In my teenage years, I was a huge fan. My taste in music changed, but I still like them and can see what a great band they are... And after all, they have been around for 40 years, the only remainders of a bunch of all those 80s nine day wonders...
The song is sublime and a masterpiece. When it was released I couldn't believe the maturity the band had gained in their writing. They are masterful
In the 80s I was deceived by their looks and presentation into thinking they were a boy band. I realized later that I was wrong, they truly are good musicians and writers, they came up with some really original material. Their song "the seventh stranger" gives me goosebumps.
Its those spine tingling bass fills JT does during the bridge that I love.
Always love listening to this song. The chord progression is beautiful.
DD finally getting some love! The greatest!
John Taylor is the man! Probably one of the most under-appreciated bassists of all time!
His isolated basslines are on here. Rio sounds amazing. Reminds me of a track that would have been in F-Zero.
Totally agree! He does not get enough recognition.
@@robloxvids2233The Rio baseline is what I was going to say! It’s insane. 🫠
@@robloxvids2233 If you want to hear something straight out of F-Zero, listen to the guitar and keyboard solo in Children of Bodom's 'Needled 24/7' (just before the 3 minute mark); it's uncanny.
Not when I was kid. Everyone and their mum loved John Taylor. He was probably more popular than Simon Le Bon!
John Taylor is such a musical bass player and has a lot of groove. You can really hear the Bernard Edwards / Chic influence on his playing, especially on Rio and the early material.
He is a fantastic bassist. I liked the neurotic outsiders pretty good.
As soon as I read your comment, Rio ran thru my head!! Besides the lack of bridges, key changes, middle 8s and anything larger than a 4 chord loop….what’s really missing from a lot of pop music now is a commanding baseline. Such a missed opportunity for a hook….
John Taylor is right there with John Wetton, Chris Squire, Stanley Clarke etc. He's always been one of my favorites. The Bass in The Reflex...❤
@@mallorywest1535 I love how 2 pr so years ago at the height of the pandemic John put out videos on how to play some of Duran's songs on bass. It was awesome.
To me JT has the same melodic bass lines as Sir Paul. You want to sing them.
Love Duran Duran. And they're still going strong! "Danse Macabre" is a true delight.
Some of the most beautiful songwriting ever is in this song and come undone. Amazing band.
I was a grumpy elder frowning on their cuteness in DD's early years. The Reflex and its 3-part structure first made me think 'Hm, some talent is hiding behind the mascara' and the harmonies got me the rest of the way. (Most Yes fans are likely suckers for a good harmony!) I bought Big Thing and this album, and enjoyed them thoroughly - and went to the Astronaut concert a few years later.
If they do not watch....fools
It's a brilliant song! This and "Come Undone" from the same album are some of my favorites from this band.
It's worth noting that this sort of ties back to your recent video about why we stop listening to our favorite artists after a while. Duran Duran was about 10 years "past their prime" when they made this song, yet it still managed to become a successful hit.
Hearing "Ordinary World" and especially "Come Undone", it always impresses me how well Duran Duran was able to adapt to the sound of the 1990s. They didn't sound like the same band that made "Girls On Film" or "Hungry Like The Wolf" a decade earlier. Not too many bands can change their sound to a new era of music _and_ sound great doing it.
Give Future Past a listen, you’ll be blown away.
G.O.F. and all of their early work still holds up. They wrote complex, cinematic, explosive dance music. There are Gen Z's falling in love with their music today, especially The Chauffeur- my personal favorite.
Couldn’t agree more!
@italoblu I have, but I skimmed through it. I will definitely give it another go. They were so great on tour last year, it made my heart happy to see them full of energy even at this point in their careers.
@@italoblu Hey, I remember that album came out on my birthday! I heard "Anniversary" but I haven't really checked out any of the other tracks. That song sounded like it would have been a massive hit in 1984!
As much as I like Andy Taylor's work with DD in the early years, I have to say that Warren Cuccurullo was Duran Duran's best guitarist. His playing on both The Wedding Album and Medazzaland is absolutely stellar! His work on both Duran Duran's MTV and Rockpalast acoustic performances is fantastic too.
Nick has probably been the major creative force in DD throughout, but Warren really shines in this song. He really brought something new to the group.
@@marvelboy74 - I agree that DD would not sound the same without Nick. His influence is strong as is Rupert Greenall's in The Fixx. Nevertheless, both Jamie West-Oram and Warren Cuccurullo are fantastic guitarists and definitely bring/brought dynamic to the bands.
100%....their live shows in late 90s with him on electric guitar with fantastic effects has never been matched....Andy never used some of the flanging and other effects that Warren did
Agree about Warren. Without him, there would not be guitar riffs you hear in Ordinary World, for instance.
Agree. Warren was just beyond beyond. A virtuoso.
Always been my favorite Duran Duran song. It hits everything just right. I always played it on overnights on the Mighty WNCI Columbus in the early 90s.
I remember hearing this song for the first time and the hairs on the back of my neck standing up. It’s one of the finest songs in their catalog.
I had a similar experience when I heard this song for the time. It was a real wow moment.
When it came out it was used on an episode of Baywatch and started getting a lot of radio requests because of that - people couldn’t believe it was Duran Duran because they’d been written off by then. Word of mouth made this song huge. First time I heard it I was blown away and I was so happy they were ‘back’. So thank you Baywatch and thank you to all my fellow fans who never gave up on them ❤
Warren Cuckarillo, formerly of Missing Persons, was their guitarist at this point. Came out of that group who played with Zappa. They were already good but Warren took them to another level. He should get a lot of credit for raising their game. The Melody, lyrics and harmonies are all pure LeBon, who is in my opinion highly underrated. John Taylor is a bass virtuoso and the wall of synths provided is by Nick Rhodes, who may also be a genius and is also highly underrated. Great song. Excellent analysis.
Great post. Agree 100%. Nick often got ripped for not being classically trained, but that guy is damned smart, and highly creative. Also was the guy in the band early on that saw the value of music videos.
Excuse me but as an italian Duranie I like to hear the correct pronunciation of italian names and surnames, also their written side, it's Cuccurullo.
I totally agree. I listened to a few Missing Persons songs at work today and the songs Words and Walking in LA made my day.
@@alessandraveronesi5572 can hear this reply with an Italian accent 😉👌
Well said
Why did I not think this would be the song? It's my absolute favorite Duran Duran song, and really a far cry from all their MTV debut hits. It is a testament to great songwriting, arranging, melody, and form. Yep.
When I was growing up Duran Duran were shunned by a lot of boys and men. They were just considered a screaming girl boy band. But as I grew older I started to appreciate just how good a lot of their music was. Skin Trade was an amazing song, so was the Chauffer, the Reflex, and Planet Earth, their first single was and is incredible. Maybe their so underatted now because they cant playdown the Playboy image they had, but definitely worthy of a reassessment.
Dont forget rio
The chauffeur is the song that made me an unapologetic fan... Not sure I quite remember why. There was probably a girl in the mix there...
Agreed. "Pretty Boys" was an understated description of them, but I'll be damned if they don't have some serious talent, especially John Taylor.
As a screaming young girl who saw them live way back in 1983, I copped a lot of flack for my musical faves, and yet it was the music that was the attractant. If anything the overabundance of rouge, hair gel and pouty pictures was off-putting as it put fans in a certain classification I didn't identify with. The basslines were amazing - John Taylor is SO funky. The Chauffer is my fave!
yea i was a teen in the 80's and never took them seriously althought they were a good pop band. Like them a lot more now especially JT work on it.
This song turns 30 this year and it still gives me goosebumps. It ends up on nearly all of my playlists eventually. Mind you, my kids laugh that ALL of my playlists start off as my attempt to curate new music and ends up being another collection of my favourites, on all of which this song will forever live. Something about Simon’s voice …. It’s always just a hairsbreadth away from completely falling apart and it rides perfectly above their elegant melodies. Their songs sung by anyone else loses that tension that makes them compelling and his voice without those melodies loses it’s emotional power. Just a match made in heaven. They were so much more than just another pop boy band. They pioneered the new age of MTV with their groundbreaking videos. Their look defined an era. Their sound is instantly recognizable. And this song is like the pinnacle of all that they are as musicians. It sat upright and centre stage amongst the cacophony of competing sounds that was the 90’s. And of course, it brought with it a huge wave of nostalgia for those of us who were passionately into the 80’s music scene. Fantastic. ❤
Please tell me you are a writer
NorthwoodFalls 💯%
@@TheRhNegative oh, lol. No, not a writer. I do like all the words, though 😃🤓
duran are amazing musicians always have been, I have loved them since 1980. seen them 3 times they are even better live.
Music of our much younger years. Great music from great times with great memories.
Ordinary World and Come Undone were 2 songs that helped me rediscover Duran Duran back in 1993. I haven't had to "rediscover" them ever since.
Even more beautiful when you know the song was written about Simon Le Bon's best friend dying. And the song is all about the aftermath of the grief and how he struggled to get over it. And get on with life without him day to day in the "ordinary world" As his friend was the person that would have helped him get over losing someone ordinarily. "where is my friend, when I need him most? Gone away!"
Came here to say this….
Wow thank you, didn’t know that
And this is a change in his approach too, because in the early days of Duran Duran Simon's lyrics didn't really mean anything (similar to M. Stipe), rather they were words he though sounded poetic and interesting.
It's part of a trio. Do You Believe in Shame, Michael You've Got a Lot to Answer For, and Ordinary World. A trio of songs for the losses...just heart-wrenching...
@@SandySaysRead I just heard “Do You Believe in Shame” in the scene where Mel Gibson was fixing his boat in Tequila Sunrise! I recognized it instantly!
Love this song. The chord progression is unique and beautiful, the lyrics are near perfect, and the production is spot-on! This breakdown by Rick is such a treat!
Brilliant song! A lot of their work is inventive. Their two biggest hits, “Hungry Like The Wolf” and “Rio”, both change keys on the choruses in interesting ways - “Wolf” goes down a third and “Rio” to the parallel major.
This song has always hit me emotionally. I believe it’s about trying to cope after a loss in a world where suffering rules the headlines. The lyrics are hauntingly sad, the instrumentation is gorgeous and the vocal is heartbreaking. Definitely DD’s best, IMO.
Well the lyrics are melancholy and uplifting at the same time, and I'll never forget it since it saved me when I got roped into doing a karaoke turn at a party...
It's about Simon losing a friend. It's intensely personal.
Like many great songs, this song has multiple inspirations. One of the things it is about was the band dealing with the fact that they no longer enjoyed the popularity they had in the 80s.
Honestly, I don’t need the breakdown to know this is a perfect song. My ears, brain, and heart told me. Duran wrote all of their music. Duran wrote the soundtrack of my adolescence, and continues to narrate my life…
Duran taught me how to listen to music.
This is the best mixing on any song ever.
One of my favorite songs ever. Probably my favorite song from the 90s. Captures the 90s IMO.
Save A Prayer. These guys were thought of as a "boy group" almost in the early days but they were much more than that. Some of us caught flack for listening to them but I go where the music is. Great musicians, great writers, great band.
Save a prayer is my favourite Duran Duran song.
Back in 190/81 when they came out, they were in their Early 20s, so; They were a Boy Band back then..
Mine too
@@mujahidhamid6585 they were NEVER a boy band!! The term Boy Band hadn’t even been coined until the late 80s when New Kids On The Block came out. Boy Band insinuating they just sing and do synched choreography and don’t play their instruments or write their own songs. Completely wrong in terms of Duran Duran. They were “boys”, as in young men but that’s as far as that description goes.
@@JC-yz1sf True, they were part of the New Wave that emerged and were known as part of the New Romantic scene that had emerged during the early 1980s. But having said that they were a band full of young men .....the best of the 1980s alongwith Spandau Ballet, Depeche Mode, Talk Talk, Kajagoogoo, Culture Club, Wham, Soft Cell, Imagination, Simple Minds, Fun Boy 3, ABC, OMD, Tears For Fears, Ultravox, A Flock Of Seagulls, Visage, Classix Nouveaux.....
This is the most beautiful song in my Playlists, the pre-chorus and the chorus make the hair stand up on my neck:) This song embodies why music is the most important thing in my life - it is audible beauty
I remember myself young when I listen to this song.
I remember when I first read the lyrics and realized it was perfect in what it conveyed as well.
Makes me sad and happy at the same time.
Perfect song.
looking back early 90's with great nostalgia to the most wonderful decade in music history
This is THE song of my life. It takes me to a very amazing and very spiritual place.